American Treasure Day

Every year, a faculty member from each division visits a select country as part of our global studies program.  Along with experiences shared throughout the year, we set aside an entire school day to celebrate the chosen country of study. Due to the global pandemic, faculty visits to Iceland were cancelled, providing the unique opportunity to delve into our own country.   

 

Alongside the Lower School Council, we explored the idea of using our traditional Country of Study Day format and how we might apply it to discovering some of the exciting heritages that comprise the United States and have contributed to and enhanced our own culture.  

 

The full landscape to take an exciting journey through our own country was clearly in front of us, thus giving birth to American Treasure Day.  A day to celebrate E Pluribus Unum:  Out of Many, One.  Each homeroom was given an American or group of Americans to highlight through our Hall of Fame.  American astronauts, mathematicians, doctors, inventors, musicians, composers, and poets lined our halls to inspire students.   

 

Through American Treasure day, to name a few, our students learned about the origins of Cowboys and how to tie a lasso. They learned more about the Native Americans of our region and how dream catchers came to be. Students planted seeds and learned that the many vegetables, fruits, and recipes of our daily lives actually have roots in our hispanic heritage. We learned about how the strong intellectual and story-telling tradition and culture of our Jewish heritage has led to great writers, lawyers, directors, producers, and even Hollywood.  We celebrated many important African Americans including inventors, scientists, and mathematicians, and experienced how African rhythms and instruments have shaped American and global music throughout time. Students learned how Asian Americans have helped to connect us through transportation and technology, as well as the development of air transportation by German Americans.   

 

Hats off to Macon Richardson and Michelle Thomas who helped us celebrate that we are truly a nation of many heritages, each unique and important, that together make one country ... the United States of America. 

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